SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Yemeni security and military officials say a suspected U.S. drone strike has killed three alleged al-Qaida militants, including a provincial leader of the group.

Officials say Qaid el-Zahab was killed along with two other suspected militants in a car in the mountainous region of el-Manaseh in the central province Bayda on Friday. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to media.

El-Zahab is believed to be the head of al-Qaida in Bayda. Parts of Bayda's capital were briefly overrun by al-Qaida militants in early 2012, when the group took advantage of a security vacuum amid political turmoil.

The United States has dramatically increased its drone strikes in Yemen the past year, through it rarely confirms individual strikes.